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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. fork — in a road
  3. chip — for betting
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hand — help
  8. cap — a lid
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. chest — a box
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chip — to eat
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cap — of ice
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chip — in a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com